The present invention relates to a hot gas engine operating in accordance with a Sterling engine, wherein a cylindrical space is provided, filled with process gas and containing additionally a working piston and a displacement piston which are longitudinally moveable therein and towards and away from each other; furthermore a regenerator is associated with the cylindrical space, and the engine moreover includes a transmission unit positively connected to the working piston.
Engines working in accordance with a Stirling cyclic process are known in the art. Their working principle is based, just as is the case of the so-called Otto and Diesel engines on the principle that a process gas is compressed at low temperatures and subsequently expands at high temperature. Contrary however to the Otto and Diesel engines, the Stirling engine does not operate with a process gas which is heated through internal combustion, but the heat is applied to the process gas from the outside, so that essentially this type of engine operates by converting temperature differences into mechanical work.
A Stirling engine of the type mentioned above is for example known in the literature by W. Klide in "ENERGIE-UNWANDLUNG IN KRAFT UND ARBEITSMASCHINEN (Energie Conversion into Force and Working Machines, 1982, pages 178 through 181). This known Stirling motor or engine includes a regenerator, arranged outside of the cylindrical space for the pistons but being connected thereto through channels, particularly to the respective hot and cold zones of the cylinder space. The known literature citation moreover discloses Stirling engines in a modern version to be conceived basically as single cylinder engine. Frequently they are equipped with Rhombic transmissions which control the kinematics that is required for realizing a cyclic process so as to obtain the requisite movements of working and displacement pistons.